What is the FTC suing Ticketmaster for?

The FTC is suing Ticketmaster for allegedly working with resellers to gouge fans and profiting from violations of ticket purchasing limits.

What is the BOTS Act and how does it relate to Ticketmaster?

The BOTS Act bans circumventing measures used to prevent mass ticket purchasing by resellers and prohibits selling tickets obtained illegally. Ticketmaster argues this law does not apply to them.

What is Ticketmaster's defense against the FTC lawsuit?

Ticketmaster's defense is that the BOTS Act law cited by the FTC is only applicable to resellers, not ticketing platforms like itself.

Home / Business and Economy / Ticketmaster Fights FTC Ticket Gouging Claims

Ticketmaster Fights FTC Ticket Gouging Claims

7 Jan

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Summary

Ticketmaster urges dismissal of FTC case over ticket gouging allegations.
Company claims BOTS Act law does not apply to ticketing platforms.
FTC lawsuit alleges Ticketmaster profited from resellers' violations.

Ticketmaster Fights FTC Ticket Gouging Claims

Ticketmaster is challenging the Federal Trade Commission's lawsuit accusing it of collaborating with resellers to inflate ticket prices. The company is urging a federal judge in Los Angeles to dismiss the case, asserting that the Better Online Ticket Sales (BOTS) Act, central to the FTC's claims, is intended for resellers and not for ticketing platforms like itself.

The FTC and seven states filed suit in September, alleging that Ticketmaster facilitated illegal ticket purchasing practices by brokers. They claim the company reaped $3.7 billion in resale fees between 2019 and 2024 by ignoring resellers' violations of artist-set ticket limits, a practice Ticketmaster has reportedly known about since 2018.

The BOTS Act, enacted in 2016, prohibits bypassing technological measures used to prevent bulk ticket purchases by resellers and bans the sale of tickets obtained through such circumvention. Ticketmaster contends it cannot be held liable under this law, as it is the resellers, not the platform, who sell tickets on its resale site, and the FTC has not proven purchase limits are covered measures.